Lighthouse Hill Ranch 10/20 Mile/ 50K Trail Run

It’s a pretty small event. Last year, there were 55 finishers for the 10 mile, 17 finishers for the 20 mile, and a mere 11 finishers for the 50K. This is probably the smallest race that I’ve ever been to. Two weeks ago I inquired about previewing the course. They don’t have day access (must be private land) I would have to rent a cabin in order to do so. I forget what the price was, but it was way too much. So I, and likely everyone else, will be running this race sight unseen. I’ll be doing (2) 10-mile loops. Easy peasy.

I’m excited but not nervous at all. Mentally, I’m looking at this race more as a training run. In fact, my marathon training schedule has me doing a 20 mile long run, so it fits perfectly. But I am going to run it hard, as it would be nice to place. I don’t know if they have awards or not, but I would definitely earn some “trail cred” with the people I run with.

My friend Zach is running the 50K. It’ll be his first ultra, what’s more it’ll be his first run over 20 miles. He’s been logging good mileage for several months, and I asked him “What are you going to do with all those miles?” That finally convinced him to sign up for a race. Which reminds me, he still owes me $65. He’s a beast of a runner, but I wonder how he’ll handle all the variables at the same time – nutrition, hydration, sweating (he sweats like crazy), which leads to chafing, mental issues, gastrointestinal issues, pacing, etc.

Several Rockhoppers are also running, so that’ll be nice to see them. However, most of them are doing the 50K, which makes me feel like a chump. Whatever. I’m hoping I can take some cool race photos. Although that seems really hard, most race photos I’ve seen are not flattering at all. But maybe I can work some magic. We’ll see.